Ottawa residents who cross the river for work, school or errands in Gatineau need to plan ahead this week.
What's happening and when
Wednesday's event is the UCI 1.1 Chrono Feminin de Gatineau, a women's time trial run over two laps covering 20.3 km, from 10:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Thursday brings the main event, the UCI 1.1 Tour de Gatineau road race, run over 12 laps covering 120 km, from 10:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Which streets are closing
Rue Wellington between rue Laval and rue St-Jacques closes both days: from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, and from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The wider race loop, which includes rue St-Jacques, promenade du Portage, boulevard Alexandre-Tache, rue Scott, promenade Lac-des-fees, rue Gamelin, promenade Gatineau, rue Laurier and rue Laval, closes on both days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Transit detours for STO riders
The Societe de transport de l'Outaouais says the cycling event is affecting its road network on both event days, with detours running from roughly 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. The routes affected are 18, 31, 32-34, 33, 35, 36-37-371, 38, 55-59, 67, 400 and 800, along with the Rapibus Corridor between Montcalm and Alexandre-Tache and several downtown Hull streets. STO says all stops along the detour routes will continue to be served, so riders shouldn't need to walk to a different stop, just expect a longer or altered path to get there. Wednesday's routes were confirmed to return to normal by the end of the day, with detours starting fresh at 9 a.m. Thursday for the road race.
The Ottawa angle
Anyone with appointments, deliveries or transit connections through downtown Hull this week should check STO's detour page before heading out, since the affected routes cover a wide swath of the core.
Earlier this month
Sources: Tour de Gatineau (official), Société de transport de l'Outaouais (official)
